Acetylene-gas generator



lI0l748f/'81- I Y A PATENTBD JAN.5,1904.

W. D. PACKARD. AGETYL'BNE GAS GENERATOR.

APILGATJION FILED DEU. 26, 1902. NQ MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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NG. 748,781. PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

w. D. lAcKARD. AGBTYLBNB GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED DEO. 26. 1902.

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Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. PACKARD, OF WARREN, OHIO.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 748,781, dated January 5, 1904. Y

Application filed December 26, 1902. Serial No. 136,683. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM D. PACKARD, acitizen of the United States, residing at War# ren, in the county of Trumbull, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetyleue Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises improvements inu portable acetylene-generators adapted espe# cially for use on automobiles and other vehicles. Provision is made for automatically feeding water to the carbid in theV generatf ing-chamber and for regulating the volume and pressure of gas by regulating theY waterpressure.

The construction and operation of the invention will be clear from the following speciication, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figure 1 isa side view of the preferred formof generator, the casing being shown partlyu broken away and partly in section. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig.' 1.'. Fig. 3 is a top plan view ot Ythe generator shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a modified form of generator, taken on the line 4 a of Fig. 5; and Fig. 5-is a bottom plan of the same.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, of the drawings, A indicates the casing of the generator, comprising a tank 1, a hollow casting 2, the upper wall 3 of which forms the bottom of the tank, and a lcup or receptacle 4,

detaohably secured to said casting. The casting isinclosed at the bottom bya wall 5, which also forms a cover for the receptacle 4.- when the latter is in position. The tank and receptacie, as shown, are rectangular in crosssection, and ears 6 and 7 are arranged upon the casing for the purpose of securing the easing to a suitable bracket or support.

The cup 4L is adapted to hold a receptacle 8, containing calcium carbid 9, and this receptacle is open at the top,as shown. An overiow tube or passage-way 10 extends from the upper portion of an inclosed compartment 11 through the lower wall 5 thereof. This tube has a small outlet 12 at its lower end, and a drip-rod 13, secured to the base of the carbid-receptacle, extends up close to the outlet 12. This rod has a pointed end 13a' opposite the centerl of said outlet, so that water dropping through the outlet will travel downwardly upon the rod and will spread outwardly over a conical distributing disk or 5 plate 14, which extends over and rests upon thecarbid, said plate having a perforation 15 at its apex through which the drip-rod eX- tends. The sp'reading-plate'is movable verticallyto correspond with variations in the 6o volume of carbid. An annular depression 0r gutter 16 is formed inthe plate 14 midway between the rod 13 and the side walls of the receptacle 8, and the bottom oi' the gutter has a series of perforations, as indicated 65 The water passing onto the plate enters the gutter and passes through the perforations onto the carbid at 'points which eect a comparatively even distribution of the water. A tu be 17 for the escape of gas from 7o the generating-chamber extends through the base 5 and upwardly in the compartment 11 to a point above the overlioW-tube 10. An v outlet-pipe 18 for the gas leads from the com partment 11 through the partition 3 and up- 75 wardly over theA top of the tank, and the outer end 18 of said pipe is suitably formed for the attachment of a pipe leading to the burners. A passage-way 19 for water is formed in the sidewall of the casing 2,'this passage- 8o way leading from the tank 1 to a point near the bottom of the compartment 11, as shown inFig. 1. A valve 20, provided with a key vor handle 21, is arranged in the passage-way V19 and adapted to open and close said pas- 85 sage-way.

The cup 4, as-shown in the drawings, is detachably secured to the casting 2 by means of a pair of bolts 22, arranged at opposite sides of the casing and secured to a flange 23 at the 9o upper end of the cup by means of pivots 24, passing through said bolts and ears 25 upon the flange. These bolts are adapted to t into recesses formed between lateral projections 26 upon the casting 2, and thumb-nuts 95 27 are provided upon the bolts, by means of which the cup may be drawn tightly into position. A recess 28 extends around the bottom of the casting 2, and a packing 29 is arranged within this recess. When the cup is Ico drawn into position, the ange 23 extends into the recess and is forced against the packing, forming an air-tight joint.

Within the tank 1 is arranged a verticallyadjustable water-reservoir 30, having at its upper end a cover 31, permanently secured thereto, and a central opening 32 is arranged in the bottom of the reservoir. The reservoir is supported upon the heads 33a of ad-` justing screws 33, which it into suitable threaded bearings 34 at the sides ofthe tank. These adjustingscrews are provided with lock-nuts 35. Double spring-catches 36, connected with the screw-heads,extend upwardly through openings 37 in projections 31, extending laterally from the reservoir, and lock the reservoir to the tank, so that it cannot be lifted from or elevated within the tank by careless handling of the apparatus. Openings 33b are formed in the screw-heads, into which a pin may be inserted for the purpcse of turning the screws. VThe reservoir when raised or lowered by means of the adjustingscrews varies the head of water, as will be hereinafter explained.

A valve 38 upon a valve-stem 39 is arranged within the reservoir and adapted to automatically close the opening 32 when the reservoir is lifted from the tank. As shown, the Valve-stem is guided within openings in a strap 40, arranged within the reservoir and secured to the base thereof, and a strap 41, secured to said base and extending below the opening. A spring 42 is arranged between the valve 38 and strap 40 and tends to force the latter against its seat, so that the valve will close when the reservoir is removed. When in position,the valve-stem rests against the base 3 and holds the valve open, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to ll the reservoir with water, it is removed from the tank and held with its open end upward. The valve is then opened by pressing the valve-stem 39 inward until the notch 43 is within the opening in the strap 41. A slight lateral movement of the valve-stem will then engage the notch with the strap, and the valve will thereby be held in its open position. f Water may then be poured into the reservoir through the opening 32. When the reservoir is filled to a sufficient extent, a lateral movement of the valvestem in the opposite direction disengages the notch from the strap and permits the valve to be closed by the spring 42.

In operation a suitable quantity of carbid is arranged within the carbid-receptacle or generating-chamber. The water-reservoir is filled by inverting it and locking the valve in the open position, as already described, when water may be poured into the reservoir. The valve is then released, thus closing the opening in the reservoir, so that the latter may be reinverted and placed with the open end downward in the t-ank. As the reservoir moves downwardly into the tank the valve is opened by the contact of the valve-rod with the base of the tank, the spring-clips 36 pass through the openings 37, and the reservoir then rests upon the heads of the adjustingscrews. The valve is thus automatically opened when the reservoir is in position, and

the latter is supported at the desired height by the adjusting-screws. Air will then iiow downwardly between the tank and reservoir and thence into the reservoir through the opening 32, and water will flow out of said opening into the tank until the water in the tank rises slightly1 above the base of the reservoir. The supply of air will thus be cut o by the water, and a partial Vacuum will be formed in the reservoir which will prevent the further outflow of water until the water in the tank is lowered sufficiently to permit air to pass beneath the base of the reservoir and into the openingin the base. When the valve 2O is open, water from the tank will enter the compartment 11 and rising therein will pass through the overow-tube 11 and from thence drop onto the-rod or spindle 13 and spread outwardly over the conical spreading-plate, entering the gutter 16 and thence passing through the perforations 16at onto the carbid. lf desired, a loose wick l0b may be placed in the tube l0 to regulate the iiow of water through the tube. Gas will thus be generated, which will pass through the pipe 17 into the chamber 11 and from thence through the pipe 18 to the burner or burners. Water will flow onto the carbidl as long as the water pressure or head is greater than the gas-pressure. As the gas and water both enter the compartment or chamber 11 when the gas-pressure exceeds the water-pressure, the water will be forced upward through the passage-way 19 into the tank and will thus be lowered to a point below the top of the overiiow-tube lO. When the conditions change.

and the gas-pressure becomes lower, the water will rise in the compartment and pass through the overiiow-tube 10 onto the carbid. A very slight change in pressure will cause the automatic feeding of the water. The compartment 11, within which the gas and water pressures are balanced, may be for convenience termed a water-feed-regulating chamber. The head of water varies according to the vertical distance between the top of the overfiow-tube 10 and the base of the reservoir, and the gas-pressure is at all times substantially equal to the water-pressure. When the gaspressure momentarily exceeds the water-pressure, the water forced upwardly through the passage-way 19 into the tank causes the water therein to rise, thus maintaining the water seal around the reservoir and preventing the escape of water from the reservoir into the tank. On the other hand, as the consumption of gas continues a constant supply of water is insured, and as this is drawn off from the tank through the passage-way 19, compartment l1, and overflow-tube 10 into the generating-chamber the level of water in the tank is lowered until air may pass under the base of the tank and into the opening 32, thereby relieving the partial vacuum in the reservoir and permitting suicient water to escape into the tank to form a seal around the reservoir.

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It will thus be seen that the gas-pressure may be maintained practically constant for a given height of Water. When agreater or less number of lights are supplied from the generator, the gas-pressure and volume of gas may be increased by adjusting the height of the reservoir. This adjustment necessarily increases the height of the water in the tank, as the water will always rise in the tank to a point sniiciently above the base of the reservoir to form a water seal.

In Figs. 4 and 5 a modified construction is shown ,in which the operation is substantially the same as in the generator of the preferred form above described. In these figures the generating-chamber instead of being arranged beneath the waterfeed regulating compartment is arranged at the side of said compartment and the tank and reservoir. As shown, the Walls of the tank la rest upon a base 45, and a horizontal partition 46 forms the bottom of the tank and the top of a Water-regulating chamber 11. The casing 4a of the generating-chamber also rests upon the base 45, which forms the bottom of the chamber, and the carbid-receptacle 8nl iits within said casing. Theupper portions of the tank and the generating-chamber are secured within a pair of connected rings 46, and the cover 47 of the generating-chamber is removably secured in position by means of a clamp 48, having hooked ends 49, which extend beneath flanges on the ring 46, which surrounds said chamber. An adjustingscrew 50 extends through a threaded opening in the center of the clamping-bail and bears against the top of the cover. Asuitable packing-ring 5l is arranged between the cover and the ring 46, so that agas-tight joint may be maintained. A gas-outlet pipe 52 extends through the upper part of the casing 4a above the top of the carbid-receptacle 8a. A pipe or passage-way 53 leads from the bottom of the overiow-pipe 10, beneath the base of the generator, to the bottom of a short vertical tube or passage-way 54, leading into the interior of the generating-chamber. This tube 54, as shown, is threaded into a boss 55, circular in cross-section, which is formed integral with the base 45 and projects ashort distance above the base. The carbid-recepta cle 8a is provided with a central vertical water-tube 56, which is secured to the base 57 of said receptacle and fits around the boss or stud 55 when the receptacle is within the generating-chamber. This tube has aseries of perforations 58 in its walls, through which the water may distribute onto the carbid 9. The pipe 53, leading from the chamber l1a to the generating-chamber, is provided with a valve 59, which is operated by means of a valvestem 60, having thereon a suitable n' ger-piece 61. For convenience the pipe 53 is brought out to the side of the casing, as shown in Fig. 5, and the valve-stem extends through suitable bearings in the base 45 and connected rings 46. The water-reservoir is substantially the same in construction as the one illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,- and it is supported and detachably held in place'in substantially the same manner, as will be apparent from an inspection of the drawings. In operation, however, the gas does not pass from the generating-chamber into the water-feedregulating chamber asin the apparatus shown in said iigures, but passes directly to the burners through the outlet 52. The gas-pressure, however, controls the supply of water in the same manner as the back pressure of the gas through the pipe 53 'controls the height of water in the chamber 113, so that when the gas-pressure falls below the pressure of the water water overiiows the pipe lOa and when the gas-'pressure rises above the Water-pressure water is driven from the chamber ila through the pipe 19 into the lower part of the tank. The variable head of water is equal to the distance between the upper end of the overflow-pipe 10a and the base of the reservoir, this distance being indicated by the dotted lines a: and y on Fig. 4.

The total head of water, which determines the gas-pressure, is measured by the distance between the top of the tube 54 in the generating-chamber and the base of the inverted reservoir, and the gas-pressurevaries according to the height of the reservoir.

It desired, a wick may be arranged in either of the tubes 10a or 54 in order to prevent too free movement of the liquid.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination of a generating-chamber, a watertank in communication with said chamber, an inverted reservoir within said tank, and means for adjusting the height of said reservoir to vary the head of the water-supply to the generating-chamber.

2. In an acetylene-gas generator, the comhina-tion of a generating-chamber, a watertank in communication with said chamber, a reservoir arranged in said tank and open only at its lower end, and adjusting-screws for varying the height of said reservoir relatively to the tank, for the purpose set forth.

3. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination of a generating-chamber, a watertank above said chamber, au intermediate regulating-chamber, suitable passages connecting said tank and chambers, an inverted reservoir within said tank, and means for adjusting said reservoir vertically.

4. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination of a generating-chamber, a regulating-chamber above said generating-cham ber, a water-tank above said regulating-chamber, suitable passages connecting said tank and chambers, an inverted reservoir arranged Within said tank, and means for adjusting said reservoir vertically.

5. In an acetylene-gas generator, a generating-chamber, a tank, an inverted reservoir Ilo within the tank, means for adjusting said reservoir vertically relatively to the tank, a feedregulating chamber below the tank, a conduit leading from the tank into said regulating-chamber and an overflow passage-Way leading from said regulating-chamber, above the lower end oi' the conduit into said generating-chamber.

6. In an acetylene-gas generator, a generating-chamber, a feed-regulating chamber, au overflow passage-way leading from said latter chamber to the generating-chamber, a tank, a conduit leading from'said tank into the regulating-chamber below the top of the overiiow passage-Way, and means for regulating the water-pressure comprising an inverted reservoir arranged within the tank, adjusting-screws connected with the tank for supporting and adjusting the reservoir, and means for removably securing said tank to the adjusting-screws. f 7. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination with a generating-chamber, a feedregulating chamber, a tank above the. regulating-chainber and passage-ways connecting the regulating-chamber with said tank and generating-chamber, of a reservoir in said tank, closed at its upper end andI having a port in its lower end, a valve-stem extending through said port and adapted to engage the bottom of the tank, a valve upon said stem within the reservoir, a spring tending normally to close the valve, and means for supporting and vertically adjusting said reservoir Within the tank.

8. In an acetylene-gas generator, a waterfeeding apparatus comprising a reservoir closed at one end and having a port at the opposite end, a spring-pressed valve Within the reservoir adapted to close said port, a stem connected with said valve and extending through the port, and means for locking said valve in its open position.

9. In an acetylene-gas generator, a waterfeeding apparatus comprising a reservoir closed at one end and having a port at the opposite end, a spring-pressed valve within the reservoir adapted to close said port, a valvestem upon which said valve is mounted and suitable guides therefor, said stem having a notch in its side adapted, when the stem is moved laterally, to engage one of the guides and hold the valve in its open position.

10.` In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination with a carbid-'receptacle having an opening in its upper portion for the admission of Water, of a rod Within said receptacle vertically arranged beneath said opening and a perforated plate through which said rod extends, said plate being adjustable upon the rod and adapted to rest upon the carbid.

11. In an acetylene-gas generator, a casing comprising a tank, a feed-regulating chamber beneath said tank and a generating-chamber detachably secured to said regulatingchamber, in combination with a verticallyadjustable inverted reservoir Within the tank, a carbidreceptacle within the generatingchamber, a conduit leading from the tank to the regulating-chamber, a valve in said conduit,an overflow passage-Way extending from the regulating-chamber to vthe generatingchamber, a gas-conduit extending from the generating-chamber to the upper portion of the regulating-chamber and an outlet-pipe extending upwardly from said regulatingchamber through the tank.

12. In an acetylene-gas generating apparatus, a tank, an inverted reservoir adapted to extend into said tank and means for adjustably supporting and securing said reservoir within the tank comprising adjustingscrews connected with the tank and having heads for supporting the reservoir and springclips upon said screws for securing the reservoir to the adj Listing-screws.

13. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination with a carbid-receptacle having an opening in its upper portion for the admission of Water, of a rod Within said receptacle vertically arranged beneath said opening, and a conical plate through which said rod extends, said plate being adj ustable upon the rod and having an annular depression or gutter and openings in the gutter for the passage of Water onto the carbid.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM D. PACKARD.

Witnesses: f

RoB'r. E. GERTON, G. B. Postr. 

